Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Creating change at Truesdell EC, part V: Working in committees

During the DC SCORES spring season, each of our 44 teams go through a four-step service-learning process that involves A) Identifying problems that need addressing in their community; B) Researching one issue; C) Implementing a project to make a difference in the community; and D) Reflecting on the impact they made.
This spring, DC SCORES intern Kristen Miano is following the Truesdell Education Campus (elementary school) Trojans as they go through the service-learning process. Read below and watch each week’s video to learn how DC SCORES empowers youth to create change around them. You can also view photos from Truesdell HERE and follow Kristen's Tweets HERE.
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Written by Kristen Miano Digital Media Intern

With committees assigned and goals in mind, the Truesdell Trojans last week came together to hammer out the details of their trash pick up competition. As each committee clustered together around tables, the classroom was abuzz with ideas and brainstorming.

“We’re the contest committee,” said Robin C., age 10, “and we’re working on the rules for the contest that we’re going to have and deciding who is going to participate.”

The contest committee is tasked with not only designing the rules for the competition, but also deciding how long the competition will run for, how the team will decide the winner, and what the final prize will be.

Blessing T. of the advertising committee said her group is in charge of developing a plan to spread the word about the competition and reminding everyone to participate by picking up trash.

“We have to make a poster of people picking up trash,” Blessing said. “And we’re going to write a slogan so that people remember that when they throw trash, they should pick it up.”

The permission committee has already accomplished one of their goals — getting permission from Truesdell principal Mary Ann Stinson to host the contest. Now, they are working on their strategies to get permission from individual classrooms and teachers to work with them to get the school cleaned up.

The final committee, the speaking committee, has a singular but tough goal — to write the speech that will explain what the competition is and why the team is holding it. The speaking committee will also deliver this speech in classrooms throughout the school, so they are busy practicing their public speaking skills as well.

With just five weeks before the end of the DC SCORES session, the Trojans still have a lot of work to do but are making great strides. The kids are getting excited to hold the competition and can see the completion of the project's goal at the end of the tunnel!